Luck Has Nothing to Do With It
by ebi pers
Summary: Mark's not having any luck with basketball today. Maddy's out to prove luck has nothing to do with it. Oneshot. Please read and review!


**A/N: I've been in a oneshot mood lately, so I've been writing these little plot bunnies for a few days now. Just so you know: Terra Nova's continuation looks to be in danger! Word has been delayed so much now, and I'm worried. A fan movement has started on Twitter (Save Terra Nova) to push the show to be renewed, and we need your help! Head over there after you're done reading or go to the Facebook page by the same name to find a link and sign the petition to save the show! Additionally, check out the twitter feeds of Jason O'Mara (Jim), Rod Hallett (Malcolm), or Jose Molina (one of the show's writers) to learn what else you can do to help save our series (think of Mark and Maddy for crying out loud)! Sorry if I'm sort of pimping this all out to you but I'm pushing hard for the show's renewal and I hope that all of you will too! Also, on a completely unrelated note, I went to go see my guidance counselor today and it suddenly hit me that her name is Ms. Shannon! Unfortunately, her first name isn't Elisabeth, nor is it Maddy or Zoe, but I was tempted to ask her if she was related to anyone by those names…**

**Ok, I'm done with the attention hogging. This was inspired by my gym class today, where we played an epic game of basketball and I began to ponder a humorous situation involving basketball and…you know what, just read it! And review when finished. And sign that petition. Seriously, do it! **

Mark dribbled the basketball a few times, the orange object thudding against the paved ground before he threw it up. It bounced of the backboard, ran around the rim of the net a few times, and then fell in the opposite direction, thumping to the ground. _"Damn!" _he cursed under his breath.

From several feet away, Maddy snickered, looking up from the notebook she was writing her homework assignments in. There were pages and open books scattered around her in the grass. Mark collected the basketball, dribbled, and repeated his action, this time missing by a mere fraction of an inch. But the ball clattered to the ground nonetheless, much to his girlfriend's amusement. He had been at this for nearly forty-five minutes. He was normally a decent basketball player, in fact, he won quite frequently in his one-on-one matches with Curran or Dunham or Jenkins. But for some reason, he just wasn't on is game today.

"Guess I'm just not having any luck today," he shrugged to Maddy with embarrassment. He'd only made a handful of baskets.

"Like luck has anything to do with it," she teased, reclining on her hands in the grass.

"Like you could do any better?" he challenged.

Maddy perked up and thought about it for a moment. "Yes. I could," she stated.

"Really?" he sounded doubtful. "Then prove yourself, Ms. Shannon. I bet you can't make as many baskets as I did today."

"I'll take that bet," she said, standing up and brushing herself off. She took the ball from his hands with a taunting grin.

"How much?"

"Ten terras for each basket I make that's over your sum total of the day. And you made twelve. I was counting."

"Deal," he agreed readily. "Have you ever played basketball before?"

"Not really," Maddy admitted, lining up at the foul line to make her first shot.

"Alright," he approached from behind her, positioning her arms in what he felt was the optimal position. "Don't get upset if you miss. You're just going to aim, bring your arms up, and shoot. Don't forget to follow through with your hands—it's all in the wrist action…"

"I get it, Mark. I've seen basketball games, you know." She readjusted her position.

"You're not going to make it if you line yourself up like that…"

"I know what I'm doing, Mark."

"Maddy, I'm telling you…"

"Just trust me on this one," she brought her arms up and shot the ball.

"I warned you—" his sentence was broken off midway when he heard a clean _swish _indicating she had made the basket. She shot him a smug grin.

"So what were you saying about me not making it?" Mark was speechless. "That's one," she informed him. He nodded and retrieved the ball, tossing it back to her. She caught it, readjusted her position, and shot again. _Swish_. Again he retrieved the basketball and handed it to her. She realigned herself with the basket and threw the ball again. _Swish_.

"How are you doing that?" he asked.

She shrugged and gave him an innocent look. "Beginner's luck?"

His eyes narrowed suspiciously but he said nothing, only gave the ball back to her again and watched closely as she set herself up. _Swish_.

_Swish, swish, swish, swish…_Mark was losing track of how many Maddy had made so far.

"That was thirteen," she announced proudly. "And I haven't missed yet." She threw the ball again. "Fourteen."

By the time she reached thirty in a row, she was ready to stop rubbing it in his face. "Proof enough?" she asked, looking to him for approval.

"That was…incredible. Amazing, actually. How did you…?"

Maddy chuckled. "It's simple physics, Mark. By working out the height of the basket and the distance from the foul line, plus factoring in the wind and the ball's mass, I was able to calculate how much force I needed to put into the throw in order to make it in. That, and I have really good aim…"

"I should've known," he smiled in wonder at her. "Using science to help you win stuff—you have a _really _unfair advantage, you know," he teased.

She dropped the ball and stepped closer to him. Patting his cheek lightly, she gave him a look of pity. "Don't be so sore. That'll be one hundred and eighty terras," she told him.

"How about," he started, kissing her cheek, "I take you out to dinner instead?"

Maddy eyed him for a moment, considering his proposal. "Deal. Now pay up."

**A/N: Fluffy, fun silliness. Because I can. And because I'm feeling uninspired to write anything else at the moment. Updates for the other stuff are coming soon, plus I've got a backlogged update of "Snapshots" for you as well. Remember to leave me a review and to go check out "Save Terra Nova" on Twitter or Facebook. Please sign the petition, the show appears to be in danger! Don't let it die, we NEED that second season! Also check out Jason O'Mara's twitter feed for more info on what you can do. Or PM me. I'd gladly let you know as well! Thanks, all!**

**A VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to lack of inspiration, I've decided I'm going to try my hand at prompts. That's right—send me one word or a phrase in a PM and I'll try to write a short oneshot ficlet about it! They do it all the time on LJ, but I'm largely dormant on that site as of late, so I'm trying it out here. Send me one-word or single-phrase prompts and I'll write to them. Hopefully it'll get the creative juices flowing again! **


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